Changes
by HotelCharlie
Summary: Percy and Annabeth had managed to establish a stable adult life with their family when something tragic happens. The unforseen tragedy leaves their family life forever changed and two of the most powerful demigods unsure as to how they will move on.
1. Chapter 1

A young man lay on his back on the bed, his legs hanging over the side. It wasn't a relaxed position, but one of an intense contemplation. The New York sun was beaming through the window, basking him in warm light. It should have been a nice day, but he could not feel any enjoyment from it. The man clawed through his hair, wondering how he was going to break the news to his kids.

A knock came on the door.

"Yeah?" The man asked.

"Daddy," a small voice said. "The lady is here to see you."

Percy Jackson looked up from his spot on the bed to see his eight year old daughter poking her head around the door, her blond locks hiding half of her face. He managed a small smile for her sake. He managed to get himself off from his bed and opened the door to take in his daughter. She looked at him with eyes very much like her own, big and sad.

"Daddy? Where's Mommy?"

He sighed and gathered his daughter in his arms. Percy picked her up and kissed her on the cheek. "Come on, kiddo. Let's go see what the lady has to say."

Percy put his hand on the door handle, about to shut it, when he paused. He reached down to his pocket and ensured that his trusty pen was still there. He strangely felt like he was sixteen again, scared and vulnerable.

Given what had happened the last few days, it was no secret why.

—3 days prior—

He was dreaming about eating breakfast at the pavilion at Camp Halfblood. He was half-way finished with his stack of blue pancakes when a voice broke through.

"Percy."

He looked up, Annabeth was there, but dressed in business attire and standing over him.

"Hmmm?" he asked, mouth brimming with pancakes and syrup.

"Percy come on, get up."

Percy was shaken from his dream. He rolled back over and buried his face into the pillows, trying to shield himself from his wife. He felt strong arms wrap around him as she climbed onto his back.

She whispered in his ear, "I know you're tired, but the kids gotta get to school."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was your day to take them."

She rolled off of his back and groaned, "Seaweed Brain, we went over this at least three times."

Percy propped himself on his elbows, watching Annabeth massaging her temples as if trying to get rid of a headache.

"Today's Friday?" He asked.

"Mmhmm."

"We have plans."

"Yep."

"I'm supposed to take the kids so you can go to your meeting early so we can meet Silena and Beckendorf for brunch."

"Bingo," Annabeth confirmed and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Percy rubbed his eyes and apologized, "I'm sorry babe, I didn't forget. I'm just tired. Hali kept me up last night."

Annabeth knit her eyebrows together, "is she having nightmares still?"

Percy nodded.

"Demi-god nightmares or eight-year-old nightmares?" Annabeth met his gaze, her gray eyes flashing with concern.

Percy shrugged. "I don't know."

He heard Annabeth curse herself in ancient Greek as he got out of bed and threw on a clean shirt.

"I should have known about this," Annabeth muttered. "I need to be more involved."

Percy moved back over to the bed and grabbed her hands in his. "Wise Girl…"

Their moment was ruined when the door to their room burst open, two girls tripping over each other. In a flash of clothes and hair and giggles, Percy and Annabeth were swarmed and overwhelmed with their two daughters.

"Daddy!" They yelled while a blond haired girl climbed on his back.

The other girl climbed onto Annabeth, who immediately began fixing her long black hair.

"We're going to be late!" The older one complained.

"Can we be late?" the younger one asked excitedly.

"We're not going to be late," Percy assured, which got equally a cry of disappointment and a cry of excitement. He turned to his wife, "We'll talk more later?"

She gave him a weak smile and grabbed her work bag from their desk in the corner of the room. She kissed both of her daughters on the head and planted a long one on her husband's lips. After a long chorus of "ewwww", Annebeth pulled away.

"I love you, Wise Girl," Percy mused.

"I love you too, see you later."

Percy shooed his daughters of the room while he tousled his hair with water and put on street clothes. He walked into the hallway, still half asleep and ran into something.

"Hey!" The something cried out. Percy looked down and saw his twelve-year-old son grimacing, wiping the now-spilled orange juice from his shirt. "This was the only clean shirt I had!"

"I'm sorry bud, but we gotta-wait a minute. Why is that your only clean shirt?" His son was about to answer when Percy cut him off, "Just go get changed, we need to leave in two minutes."

"You don't need me to walk to school," he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"And you don't need to have that attitude," Percy retorted and poked his son playfully in the sides. He groaned and retreated to his bedroom, presumably to find a somewhat clean shirt.

"Two minutes!" Percy called after him, moving to the kitchen where a mess was unfolding.

"Hali give it back!" The black-haired girl screeched. She was trying to run around the kitchen table to catch her younger blond sister, who was clutching a folder to her chest and laughing maniacally.

"Sage is a nerd! Sage is a nerd!" Hali taunted, thinking she was the funniest eight-year-old in the world.

Percy rolled his eyes. Definitely not his and Annabeth Chase's kids. He stepped in the middle of his quarreling daughters. "If you don't stop right now, we can't have Charlie or Henry over this weekend."

Hali grinded to a halt and looked at her father incredulously. "You wouldn't dare!"

Percy tried to look serious and intimidating, but a smile crept on his face. "Oh yes I would."

Hali immediately handed over the folder to Sage who huffed and turned on her heel.

"I'm leaving for school," she grumbled, taking her backpack from the kitchen table and making a beeline for the front door.

"Hang on, honey." Percy said quickly, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to keep his daughter from leaving if he was held up any longer. "Chase!" He called.

His son rounded the corner, in a new but very wrinkled t-shirt. At least it didn't have orange juice on it. Percy tousled his son's identical dark locks and Chase smacked his hand away, grumbling something about spilled juice.

"Everybody's in a great mood today," Percy grumbled. He checked his pocket for his keys and paused, realizing something else was missing.

"I'll be down in a second, wait for me outside," He said to his kids. They left without hardly noticing him, bickering about one thing or another. Percy moved back to his bedroom and opened up the drawer on his bedside table. Two objects clattered inside: a Minotaur horn, and a familiar ballpoint pen.

Percy picked up Riptide and examined it.

Riptide had stopped automatically returning to his pocket when he graduated high school. It used to appear in his pocket whenever he left the house before then, and of course always returned to his pocket after or during combat. High school was the most dangerous time for demigods. If you lived through that, you were usually good to go. Percy had some friends who made it through college and beyond without seeing another monster.

Being powerful demigods, Percy and Annabeth hadn't been so lucky during their college years on the west coast. Nowadays, however, there was never a need to carry it around.

Percy turned it over in his hands and sighed. He didn't need his old friend dropping off his kids at school. He put it down in the drawer and jogged down the stairs to meet his kids.

The subway ride was very on par for the Jackson clan.

Sage had her nose buried in a book that was far past the fifth-grade reading level. Her gray eyes moved over the words flawlessly, not even moving off the page to tuck behind any black locks that escaped her braid. Percy, like when he thought about Annabeth, constantly had to remind himself that they had dyslexia.

Chase too, got lucky with inheriting demi-god genes. He was the spitting image of Percy when he was that age, with choppy black hair that fell in front of his sea-green eyes. He sat a few seats over from the rest of the family buried in his phone, blasting music in his headphones. He tapped his foot and fidgeted, occasionally looking anywhere but at his sisters and father. Percy made a mental note to talk to Annabeth about sending him to camp this summer. After all, Chase was now the same age Percy was when he first showed up to Camp Halfblood.

Hali swung around the hand-grab pole in the middle of the subway car, chattering on and on about her soccer team. Hali had inherited everything about her from Percy, except for her blond curls. Her untamable ADHD, dyslexia, disinterest in school, and green eyes were all from her father.

Percy sat back, nodding occasionally responding to Hali's tyrade. He glanced around the subway car, his eye catching on something large moving on the adjacent subway car. It was a huge figure, about seven feet tall and bulky, but the more detailed features were hidden by a gray sweatshirt. Percy blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes before glancing back up.

Whatever it was, it was gone. Percy sighed. He needed to find a way to get Hali to sleep that didn't involve him being up half the night with her.

"Have a good day!" Percy called, waving as his kids went through the front gates of their respective middle school and elementary school. Sage and Hali paused in their fighting to wave back, whereas Chase continued forward pretending not to hear his father.

Percy shook his head and turned to head back to their apartment. He crossed the street where the high school was bustling with teenagers. He couldn't believe Chase was going to be a freshman already in just two more years. Percy was about to turn towards the subway when he stopped in his tracks.

In between the buses he thought he saw a large looming man in a gray sweatshirt. The figure started moving towards him.

Percy turned on his heel and walked the other way. He was seeing things. He descended the subway stairs, not looking behind him the entire time. Percy's ADHD was starting to kick in. He found himself constantly sitting down and standing back up again, looking around wildly. Because it was the New York subway, nobody was looking at him any differently.

He reached to text Annabeth, but decided to wait. He remembered cell-phones boosted demi-god scent.

Percy laughed without humor out loud to himself. What was he thinking? He hadn't faced a monster in years. There was no way.

He sat back down and resolved to take the subway a stop past his usual one and backtrack, just to be safe. He checked his watch, he had time before he was supposed to meet everyone for brunch.

The subway began moving again past his usual stop. The rest of the car was deserted. Percy breathed out. Nothing was wrong.

Just then, the door to the adjacent car exploded next to him and went spiraling across the subway car. Percy jumped to his feet as a figure in the sweatshirt stepped into the car. He watched in horror as the Mist wore off, the sweatshirt ripped to shreds and fell around the monster.

The monster flexed his upper body and roared.

The minotaur had returned for a third time.

**A/N: Yes, I brought Silena and Beckendorf back for a key plot point. Let me know what ya'll think and if you want more.**

**-HotelCharlie**


	2. Chapter 2

Percy used his superior warrior skills to reach into his pocket instinctively and pull out his celestial bronze sword. Of course, what he actually pulled out was his apartment keys because he had left Riptide at home.

"Uh, unguard?" Percy asked when he realized all he had to fight with was a set of keys.

If bulls could smirk, Percy was sure this one did it. The minotaur reached out with one hand and grabbed Percy around the neck, hoisting him into the air. Percy was suddenly twelve again, watching the minotaur squeeze his mother to what he thought at the time was her death.

Percy kicked at the minotaur, trying to urge the beefy bullman to release his group. He just squeezed harder. Black spots danced in front of his eyes.

He was quickly running out of options. Percy shut his eyes, trying to reach out with his senses to summon any water nearby. When he didn't feel the familiar tug in his gut, Percy knew he was on his own. He thrashed again, kicking up at the minotaur's snout. His foot hit its mark, but the minotaur barely flinched. Again, he squeezed his meaty hands around Percy's neck even harder. Percy became acutely aware of each heart beat as it struggled to pump without oxygen.

_Ba-bump._

He saw a flash. A fleeting memory. Him and Annabeth were sixteen again, being dumped into the canoe lake at camp.

_Ba-bump._

He was on one knee, looking into Annabeth's shining gray eyes.

_Ba-bump._

Pregnant Annabeth struggled to move boxes around their apartment in New York.

_Ba-_

"How about Chase? After you and your family?"

_Bump._

"Sage, it means wisdom," Annabeth marveled holding a bundle of blankets.

_Ba- _

"Hali. It's Greek for sea."

"I think we're taking our kids' names a little too literally."

"I love you Seaweed Brain."

_Bump._

He saw Annabeth and his kids on the shore, waving to him. He was in a canoe. He willed the ocean to take him closer to them, but the canoe drifted further and further away.

"Daddy!" Hali cried, breaking away from her mother. "Don't go!"

Percy's eyes shot open. He used the last bit of strength he had to punch the glass container on the wall and pull the emergency brake. The subway car jolted backwards, throwing Percy and the minotaur askew in the train car.

Percy coughed, his lungs screaming for air. He crawled away from the minotaur, who was disoriented for the moment, searching for anything he could possibly use as a weapon. Percy used the same hand-grab pole Hali was swinging on early to hoist himself up when he suddenly got an idea. He ran to the opposite end of the train car and stood behind one of the poles.

"Hey beef boy!" He called, kicking the pole to egg the minotaur on.

The monster dragged himself to his feet and stomped his foot. There wasn't a lot of room for the bull to charge, but Percy hoped it would be enough. The minotaur made a beeline for Percy. He braced himself against the pole, waited until the last possible moment, and rolled to the side as the minotaur made contact with the pole, knocking it clean from its moorings.

The pole clattered away as the minotaur tried to slow himself down. He knocked straight into the side of the subway car with a horrifying crunch. The metal bent around the minotaur, but the beast itself seemed only dazed.

Percy crawled towards where the pole had landed, but the minotaur picked right then to regain its awareness. Percy closed his hands around the pole. The animal grunted and kicked backwards, catching Percy in the ribs as he did. He grunted as the wind was knocked out of him and was knocked several feet away from the minotaur.

The minotaur was charging again, but Percy rolled out of its path and took the pole with him. He stayed on the ground this time as the monster turned. Thinking Percy was beaten, the minotaur geared up to charge again.

Percy held his breath, baiting his time. He made sure one end of the pole was set up against the back wall. The minotaur charged.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three...and Percy brought the other end of the pole up as the minotaur ran himself right through it. The minotaur made it right in front of Percy before it was stopped by the pole running itself through the beast's midsection.

Percy didn't let the monster's surprise slow him down. He had killed only one monster without a celestial bronze weapon before, and luckily it was this one. Percy jumped on top of the minotaur's back and wrapped the crook of his elbow around one of the minotaur's horns. He leaned backwards and stretched out with his legs and pulled with all of his might.

_Snap!_

The minotaur bellowed, but the cry died as the beast dissolved into monster dust.

Percy collapsed on the floor of the subway panting. Chase wasn't the only one who had their shirt ruined that morning, for now the monster dust was clinging to Percy.

"Yuck," he groaned, wiping what he could off.

Percy almost forgot that he had caused a subway to stop dead in its tracks before he heard distinct shouting and remembered that he needed to get the hell out of there before he was arrested by mortal police.

He paused before running. Mortal police. It had been a long time since he referred to them as that rather than just police. He shook off the thought and took off through the emergency window without bothering to collect the minotaur horn left in the abandoned subway.

Annabeth was going to kill him.

He should have been waiting outside the restaurant with her, Silena, and Beckendorf ten minutes ago. Here he was, still more than ten blocks north and on the wrong side of Central Park. On top of that, he was sweaty, still coated in a fine layer of monster dust, and his hand was covered in blood.

Percy had exited the subway car and ran around to the other side. He had slipped in the back where nobody noticed him, as the car full of mortals was busy being evacuated by rescue teams. That had taken long enough, but on the way out Percy was being heckled by news reporters looking for eye witness comments. Percy pushed past all of them, hearing whispers of a track malfunction causing the stoppage.

At least he wasn't a wanted felon...this time.

Percy didn't text Annabeth, he didn't want to risk sending up another signal so soon after a monster attack. He hadn't encountered one in...Percy blinked. He couldn't even remember the last time he had to fight a monster.

He picked up the pace and began to jog to the brunch place, stopping in a McDonald's bathroom to quickly clean up. He would have to push any thoughts of the monster attack out of his mind until he and Annabeth could get a moment alone.

Before long, Percy rounded the corner and entered _Good Enough to Eat, _which had become his and Annabeth's favorite brunch spot since moving back to the east coast. It was reserved for them- as they had never brought the kids here. Well, them and old friends.

He scanned the small dining room before setting eyes on a built African American guy with his arm around a blue-eyed, blond-haired girl of striking beauty. He recognized the blond curls of his wife, who was still facing away from him. Percy sighed, running through his hand through his hair.

"-no idea where he is." he heard Annabeth saying as he approached.

"Present," Percy announced, planting a kiss on top of Annabeth's forehead and taking his seat next to her.

Annabeth shot him a look and raised an eyebrow. She took in his appearance and then narrowed her eyebrows with concern. "Percy, what hap-"

"Long story. I promise it's not interesting," Percy hastily explained. He turned to their double dates. "How are you guys?"

Silena beamed, "We're great! It's so good to see you guys. It's a shame we don't get together more."

"Kids." "Work." Annabeth and Percy said at the same time and then shot each other awkward glances when they realized they hadn't said the same thing.

Beckendorf grinned. "How are the little buggers?"

"Oh you know, Chase is being a pre-pubescent teen per usual. Sage and Hali won't stop fighting. They're a collective handful." Annabeth explained.

"Sounds like they're great then. Charlotte and Henry are looking forward to spending the weekend at your place if you still don't mind," Beckendorf said, taking a sip of his coffee.

An alarm went off in Percy's head. He just encountered a monster today-the minotaur no less. Was having five Olympian-descended kids and two half-bloods in one place really a great idea?

"Actually-" Percy began to say when he was cut off by the arrival of their waiter. After they were done ordering, everybody had forgotten about Percy's protest.

"Not to cut off the small talk, but you mentioned that you wanted to talk to us about something. What's up?" Annabeth asked.

Beckendorf and Silena looked at each other. Silena pursed her lips.

"Charlie and I have been talking…" She trailed off, lowering her voice. "We were thinking about sending Charlotte and Henry to camp this summer."

Annabeth froze as she brought her coffee mug to her mouth. She set it down and shot Percy a look.

This had been a fairly touchy subject between them. Since the monster attacks had been done to zero (until today, but Annabeth didn't know that), Annabeth had been more and more hesitant to send their kids to camp. Even though she started when she was seven, she had continually dodged the conversation because she had argued that Chase hadn't been old enough yet. Now that Chase was the same age that Percy was, the conversation was getting harder to ignore.

"Why's that?" Percy stepped in.

Beckendorf grunted. "I wanted to tell you sooner."

"And I didn't think it was a good idea to raise any alarm bells," Silena quickly interjected.

"Silena, why would your kids need to go to camp?" Annabeth pressed.

Beckendorf answered curtly, "Monsters."

Under the table, Annabeth grabbed Percy's hand.

"Charlie and I had been attacked three times in the past month, once when we were at a Mets game with the kids." Silena explained. "For years, nothing. Then all of a sudden…" she trailed off and shrugged. "Henry thinks one of his teachers is a monster. I think he just doesn't like her, but you can't be too careful."

"So you send them to camp to learn how to fight instead of finding out why they're suddenly reappearing?" Annabeth challenged.

"Annabeth, we need them to be prepared. We couldn't stand it if-" Silena broke off, her eyes getting watery at the mere thought of losing a child. She blinked it away. "Why are you so opposed to the idea of our kids getting the proper training?"

Annabeth visibly stiffened. Percy looked at her, wondering if he would finally get an answer to the question that he had been asking for years now.

"You know how it goes," she answered quietly. "The more you know, the more danger you're in. I'm trying to keep it that way as long as possible."

"But you two haven't seen any more monsters?" Beckendorf asked, meeting Percy's gaze.

Percy opened his mouth to answer before Annabeth beat him to it. "Nothing. And nothing that the kids have mentioned that would make us think otherwise either."

"I guess it could just be a freak thing. Afterall, if monsters were in New York attacking us, they'd surely be attacking you too," Silena offered.

Percy's stomach flipped.

Annabeth bit her lip. "It couldn't hurt talking to Chiron and see what he thinks."

The group mulled that over for a moment before Silena broke the silence again. "Well, we shouldn't spend all morning talking shop. Annabeth, I saw the new building you designed yesterday, how did you ever come up with that design?"

The couples bid each other a fond farewell. Annabeth and Percy watched as Silena and Beckendorf disappeared into the afternoon crowds. Without warning, Annabeth whipped around and crossed her arms.

"Wanna tell me why you're late and sweaty?"

Percy shied away from his wife's intense glare. "I swear it wasn't my fault."

"So then-"

"Let's just say Silena and Beckendorf aren't crazy," Percy said, shuffling between his two feet.

An emotion Percy didn't recognize washed over Annabeth's face. "Wait. You weren't-"

"Attacked?" Percy finished. "Yeah. On the subway." He started walking, pulling Annabeth along in the direction of their apartment.

"The kids?"

"In school. This was after I dropped them off."

"Are you okay?"

Percy nodded. "I got lucky. I didn't have Riptide with me. It was the minotaur, Annabeth."

Annabeth stopped in her tracks. "What?"

Percy pulled her along again. "C'mon, I just want to get home and off the streets. And yes, the minotaur."

"Percy, the only time a monster like that showed up was when Kronos was rising." She winced saying the name, her voice laced with pain. Even after all of these years, talking about that and what it did to Luke Castellan was still hard for her.

"I know. I don't think it's that," Percy assured. "But something's going on, especially if Silena and Beckendorf were talking about being attacked."

"What should we do?" Annabeth's voice tight.

Percy shook his head. "I don't know. I don't want to freak out the kids over one monster attack."

"Not doing anything might put them in harm's way."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Annabeth paused for a long while. In fact, they had made it almost all the way back to their apartment before she responded. "I think we might need to reconsider sending the kids to camp for the summer."

**AN: No worries, I'm not killing Annabeth. Please let me know if you're enjoying the story!**


	3. Chapter 3

Hali clutched her arms around her father's neck as they made their way down the short hallway.

"Be there in a moment, make yourself at home Ms. Galloway!" Percy shouted as he pushed open the door to Chase's room to see him passed out in his bed. Since the minotaur attack a few days prior, he had been religiously making rounds to his kids rooms every few hours to check on them.

"Daddy, who's Ms. Galloway?" Hali asked, tugging at his hair.

"You met her yesterday," Percy said absentmindedly. He pushed the cracked door open to Hali and Sage's messy room, seeing Sage with her back turned to them her nose buried in a book.

"Sage," Percy said.

"Daddy-" Hali tugged on his arm.

"Just a second Hali," Percy admonished. "Sage, while you're not too busy at the moment, it'd be nice if you could clean up your room."

Sage huffed without taking her eyes off of her book. "Why can't Hali help me?"

"Daddy, the lady out there-" Hali tried again.

"That's a great idea." Percy let his daughter down on the ground. "Hali, stay here with your sister while I go see what Ms. Galloway wants. It's just boring adult stuff I promise."

"But Dad!" Hali exclaimed.

Percy tousled his daughter's blond hair and turned to move down the hallway.

"Daddy, you're not listening to me!" Hali jogged after her father, tugging on his arm to bring him back towards the hallway with the bedrooms.

Percy was yanked back from the line of view of the front door.

He groaned, but paused. He tried not to get too frustrated with the kids. He didn't want to ruin what was probably their last day of normalcy by getting upset with them.

"Hali, I really need you to-"

"That's not Ms. Galloway!" Hali blurted out.

Percy paused. Hali had met her only briefly yesterday by mere accident, she was probably mistaken. But the wildness in her green eyes made Percy think otherwise.

"Hali-"

"Ms. Galloway had red hair, this lady is old!" Hali wrinkled her nose.

Percy's heart began racing.

"Hali, go to your room," Percy commanded with urgency. He shooed Hali in that direction while he emerged from the hallway.

Near the front door in the sitting area, a woman with her back turned to Percy was scanning the family photos hanging on the wall. She wore a gray business suit, her gray hair pinned in a bun to her head.

Percy took one step closer.

Suddenly, the woman stiffened.

"Perseus Jackson."

-_2 Days Prior-_

"Mom, are you sure you don't mind doing this?" Percy asked, following his mom around the kitchen as she put the last tray of blue cookies into the oven.

"Percy Jackson," Sally Jackson admonished. "I would never say no to a trip to Montauk with my grandkids."

She stood, wiping her hands on her apron. Sally Jackson still retained a youthfulness in her that contrasted her short gray hair. She looked at her son thoughtfully and brought him into a tight hug. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Sally pulled away, putting her hands on his hips. "But you're going back to Camp?"

Percy picked up one of his mom's warm cookies, still hot on the tray and promptly shoved it in his mouth.

"Hey!" came a cry from the living room. Hali came sprinting up to the counter and quickly threw a cookie in her mouth, "I thought we were waiting!"

Her siblings quickly did the same and disappeared back to the couch to hear some more of Paul's stories.

Sally chuckled, "You know, I think Hali got it all from her dad."

"Unfortunately," Annabeth mused, playfully nudging up against Percy. He put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"But really, tell me what's going on."

Annabeth pursed her lips. "Our friends Silena and Beckendorf-they live here in New York. We get together sometimes. Yesterday at lunch they mentioned that they were thinking about sending their kids to Camp because they had been attacked a few times this month."

Sally pursed her lips, motioning for her daughter-in-law to continue.

"And yesterday, Percy had a run in with a monster on the subway."

"The minotaur, actually," Percy clarified.

His mother winced, absently bringing a hand up to rub at her neck from where the minotaur had held her there all those years ago.

"We don't want to worry you, Sally. We don't think you have anything to worry about," Annabeth rushed to assure. "But we think it's something we should talk to Chiron about."

Sally suddenly rushed forward and brought both of them into a hug. When she pulled away, she had a tear glistening in her eye.

"I'm so proud of you both. Be safe, okay? Paul and I will look after the kids."

There was a fit of giggles coming from the living room, and Percy knew that his parents would take care of everything.

As Percy and Annabeth drove down Long Island, with the windows open and the warm May air drifting in, Percy felt almost as if he could pretend he was seventeen again. Led Zeppelin blasted from the speakers, and Percy sang horribly.

Annabeth laughed at his terrible voice. Her blond ponytail flew in front of her face. She grabbed Percy's hand and squeezed it.

"I love you," she said, bringing his hand to her lips and kissing it.

He paused in the lyrics to reply, "I love you too."

They pulled up to the road at the base of the familiar hill. Percy shut the car off, but didn't get out. He looked at his wife and asked, "You know we could have just Iris-messaged Chiron. Why did you want to come out here?"

Annabeth took off her sunglasses and put them on the dash. She took her husband hands in her own.

"This is going to sound really dumb-"

"Nothing you say is dumb," Percy corrected her.

Annabeth gave him a weak smile. "I just wanted the two of us to have a few hours to ourselves. And…" she drifted off.

Percy waited for her to continue.

"Camp Halfblood gave me a home when I didn't have one. A family when I didn't have one to go home to. I know it's irrational, but we have an amazing family. A good home for them. I just want to make sure that Camp Halfblood can still give them all that we do."

Percy brought his wife into a long embrace. It had been years since the two of them had been to Camp Halfblood. The last time they had been here was when Hali was a toddler.

It wasn't as if Percy or Annabeth were any less affectionate towards Camp and what it meant for them as individuals and as a couple as the years went on. But something Annabeth had said rang true-Camp Halfblood didn't need them anymore nor they, it. Their fondness of the place was easily maintained at a distance.

"Annabeth, we don't have to send them here," Percy said. "We could rent a cabin on Montauk, get some space and we could train them to defend themselves just fine."

Annabeth shook her head. "I'm a little rusty, aren't you?"

Percy put his hand on his pocket where he felt Riptide. It was like a surgeon refusing to do surgery on his own child. He knew Annabeth was right-per usual. He sucked in a deep breath. Their time was done.

Demi-god was no longer their primary responsibility.

Percy held Annabeth's hand as they surmounted the hill where Thalia's tree stood proudly. The scene that lay before them was a familiar site, one they had laid eyes on many times before. Percy couldn't help but grin at the view of the Big House, or the canoe lake in the distance. From here, he could smell the strawberry fields.

He started down the hill, remembering how Hali had went tumbling down this same hill. She giggled the entire way down. He remembered Chase taking off halfway through the visit to play tag in the fields with some young satyrs and how Sage begged her mother to show her the Athena Cabin.

Percy looked over as they approached the Big House steps. Annabeth was grinning.

They rounded the corner on the wrap around porch to see two people engaged in a card game. One, a bearded man seated in a wheelchair and the other a plump man wearing a leopard-print shirt.

"Peter and Annie Johnson, you're still alive are you?" the man asked without looking up from his hand.

"Still serving out your sentence, Mr. D?" Percy jabbed, getting a nudge from Annabeth to his ribs.

Chiron spun his wheelchair around, a fond smile gracing his face. "Percy and Annabeth, how good it is to see you."

Mr. D disappeared inside, claiming boredom while Chiron, Annabeth, and Percy settled into chairs facing out towards the training grounds. In the distance, Percy could hear the clashing of swords as a new generation of demigods trained.

"What brings you to visit us? It's been a while," Chiron inquired.

Annabeth recounted everything that had happened the day prior, to include Percy's run-in with the minotaur and what Silena and Beckendorf had told them over lunch. Chiron's eyebrows furrowed and he ran a hand over his beard in thought.

"Percy and I were thinking it might be time to send the kids to Camp for the summer. So that they can be prepared if they run into any trouble," Annabeth finished, resting her hand on Percy's thigh.

"I dare say that seems more of a job for our friends out west would have. We've never really had demi-god lineages before," Chiron mused.

"We know. But we don't want to completely uproot them," Percy said. "Their home is in New York."

"I understand, Percy. What I don't understand is why there are monster attacks happening so frequently, if at all."

"I don't know why it's taken them so long to find us," Annabeth said. "Not that Silena and Beckendorf aren't important, but-"

"But a child of the Big Three, however old, is still powerful," Chiron finished. He looked at them for a long while before continuing. "How old are they now?"

"Twelve, ten, and eight."

Chiron sighed. "So young."

"The time goes fast though," Percy reflected.

"It sure does, child." Chiron suddenly looked a lot older as he said, "Your children are more than welcome to train at camp this summer, but I will caution you. If you don't think it's safe for them anymore, it might not be very safe for you either."

Classic Chiron. Always having a way to lighten the mood.

"Nobody else who we've heard of has had problems with monsters into adulthood. I don't see why we suddenly would," Annabeth said.

"It may not be you. It may be your children attracting them."

"But they aren't demi-gods. They're-" Annabeth broke off. She blinked. "I actually don't know what to call them."

"If I'm not mistaken, Chase, Sage, and Hali are still half-bloods. They're just not half-bloods of one god."

"They have two gods' DNA. Figuratively speaking. Poseidon and Athena," Annabeth put together.

"And that, my dear, may make them more powerful than you or I ever thought they were."

"Nobody else would know about how all this second generation demi-god stuff works?" Percy asked, waving a hand in the air.

"I'm not sure. Camp Jupiter is designed to house multiple generations of half-bloods, but it's a permanent home. Camp Half-blood isn't intended to be that as both of you know. Your childrens' generation might be the first Greek second generation of demigods to live in the mortal world that I know of."

Percy and Annabeth thanked Chiron for his sage wisdom before chatting about less-dire matters, like updates on other aged-out campers and the goings on with the present generation of demigods. Before they knew it, the conch horn sounded for supper as the sun began sinking low on the tree tops.

"We have an extra room in the Big House, you're more than welcome to stay the night and join us for dinner in the pavilion for old time's sake," said Chiron with a twinkle in his eyes.

"It is late, Sally and Paul have the kids for the night, why not?" Annabeth reasoned with a growing smile.

"C'mon, let's not keep them waiting," Percy agreed.

"Dining with us tonight are Annabeth and Percy Jackson, daughter of Athena and son of Poseidon. Heroes of Olympus!" Chiron boomed.

Percy and Annabeth looked out on the campers, feeling somewhat shy. Since it was only late May, only half of the summer kids had arrived seeing as the east coast schools hadn't let out yet. The announcement was met with clapping and scattered, excited whispers.

"Yes, yes, it's all very exciting," Mr. D droned, propping his head up on his hand.

Percy held out the chair for Annabeth and then seated himself. He noted that the Poseidon table remained empty. Something unfamiliar tugged at him, and he couldn't tell if it was relief or sadness at the sight.

As the campers went up and made their offerings, Annabeth and Percy followed suit.

The meal wrapped up and suddenly Percy found himself being approached by a few campers.

"Uh, Mr. Jackson?" a young blond boy asked. "Is it true you fought the minotaur before even getting to camp?"

"Or that you bathed in the River Styx?"

"That's nothing!" Another one piped up. "I heard he went to Tarturus itself!"

"Nu-uh!" the blond boy punched him in the shoulder. "Be serious!"

Annabeth looked at Percy and began laughing. "Well, go on Perce. Tell them about all your adventures."

"Okay, okay. I guess I can tell you about the Battle of Manhattan."

Percy went on to tell them about how the entire island was put to sleep and the strategy behind setting up their defences. Annabeth jumped in to correct him when he was overembelishing and to show off her scar from where she took the knife for Percy. Eventually, Chiron had to come over and shoo the campers back to their cabins.

"I think that's our cue too," Anabeth yawned.

"Yeah," Percy said. "But I think I want to do one more stop before we do."

Percy took Annabeth's hand as they trailed behind the campers heading for their cabins. They passed the volleyball court, the hearth, and the tether ball in the middle of a strange collection of buildings shaped in a Greek omega. They passed a familiar silver building that Percy had spent so many hours inside of courting Annabeth before settling in front of a low rise building-cabin number 3.

Percy pushed the door open, noticing how he didn't bother knocking. Sure, he didn't see any Poseidon campers at dinner, but that wasn't why. He wouldn't have knocked before going into his own apartment, so he wouldn't be knocking now. It still felt like home.

It was exactly as he left it. The bunks were empty. The salt-water fountain gurgled in the corner. There was even a long-forgotten sock in the corner.

Annabeth wrapped her arms around Percy.

"It's weird, isn't it?" she quietly asked. "How something so familiar can be so foreign?"

Percy shrugged. "I wouldn't have used Wise Girl words, but yeah."

"Do you think they would stay here? Or in the Athena cabin?" Annabeth mused.

"Definitely here," Percy said, twisting around and wrapping his arms around Annabeth in return.

"Oh yeah?" Annabeth smirked. "Why is that, Seaweed Brain?"

"Mmm they love me more," Percy joked, kissing Annabeth on the nose.

"If you mean they have your ability to inhale food in a single bite, then yes," Annabeth giggled.

Percy pulled his wife into a long kiss. "C'mon Wise Girl, we both know a girl and a guy can't be alone in a cabin together."

As he turned to leave, he felt Annabeth slap him on the rear. "Since when have you cared about that rule?

**A/N: I know not a super action-packed chapter, I promise the next one is.**


	4. Chapter 4

The mystery woman turned around. She couldn't have been much older than Percy's mother, but she was much older than any time she had ever appeared to Percy. The startling gray eyes gave her away immediately.

"Lady Athena," Percy said.

She paced around the living room for a moment. "Your daughter is in her room, we're alone. She didn't recognize me."

Percy awkwardly ran his hand over his hair. Godly grandparents had always been a...touchy subject in this household.

"Though I'm not surprised. It would be unwise to trust a child with that information while trying to raise them mortal," Athena continued. There was a hint of cautious approval in her voice, as if she was afraid to give the son of her rival a compliment.

"Uh, thanks?" Percy offered with equal caution. "Not to be rude, Lady Athena, but why are you here?"

Athena clasped her arms behind her back. "You and my daughter have some very difficult decisions to make, and I am not confident that Annabeth will make the right one if you are in disagreement."

Percy blinked. That was the first time Athena had not directly accused Percy of making an "unwise decision." She merely insinuated he would have a hand in it.

"I told you once that your fatal flaw would lead to your destruction. Your loyalty now may lead your family to destruction. I would remind you to remain loyal to the thing that matters most."

Percy couldn't help but snort. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Athena's eyes flashed dangerously and she stepped right in front of Percy. "I can promise you that if anything happens to my grandchildren that I will not have any hesitation about destroying you."

Percy looked away just in time as Athena disappeared in a flash of pure light.

In-laws.

-_1 Day Prior-_

It was barely light out yet. The sky was still an inky blue and the stars shone through the still air over Camp Half-Blood. Percy took all of this in as gazed through the window in the Big House. The light pollution was so bad in the city that even on a cloudless night the stars didn't shine like this. Percy felt a twinge of homesickness the way somebody longs for their childhood.

He wrapped his arm tighter around Annabeth and nuzzled his head into the crook between her shoulder and neck. Percy smiled against her skin.

For just a moment, everything was perfect.

And then the world began to shake.

"Hmm?" Annabeth asked, barely awake.

Percy sat up and put his feet on the floor. The Big House was moving beneath him. Percy threw the blankets off of them and ran to the window, which overlooked the hill with Thalia's tree. , Yesterday Percy and Annabeth had been admiring the serenity of the view, but now all Percy could see was a scene of horror.

Something immensely large and long took up Percy's view. It was easily two hundred feet long, with glowing yellow eyes and scales that glinted menacingly in the starlight. Percy froze with fear. With eyes that could paralyze and poison that could vaporize, it was easily the most dangerous foe Percy had ever faced.

A drakon.

Percy was so focused on the monster that it took him a minute to notice what the drakon was chasing: a jeep ripping across the farm road at an alarming speed. Even then, the car was still a half mile away from the hillcrest-the drakon was mere moments away from snatching it up in its maw.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, and whipped around to find his wife already right behind him. Her gray eyes were wide with alarm. He snatched Riptide from the bedside table and sprinted down the stairs with Annabeth on his heels.

They raced up the same hill they had raced on so many times before during their summers at Camp, only this time Percy was leading. They surmounted the hill and saw the car had stopped roughly a quarter mile away from where they stood now. Two children holding onto each other were running desperately towards them while two other figures raced away-right towards the monster.

In an instant, Percy realized what was happening.

The drakon roared.

"You get the kids, I'll get the drakon," Percy said, taking off running.

"Percy, you can't take a drakon by yourself!" Annabeth protested.

They were closing the distance between them and the children when they started to hear the cries of help over the chaos.

Something in Percy's gut wrenched tightly, and he became hyper focused on the two children who were now a mere hundred meters away. He picked up the pace. He didn't even notice his lungs heaving in or out or the way his sword arm felt heavy while running. He was instead focused on the way the brother and sister stumbled as they moved, the girl sobbing as they went.

Percy was just about to reach them when he heard Annabeth yell.

He saw the drakon open its maw, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth-each the size of a car as flames erupted from its mouth. In a dash, he tackled the two kids to the ground as he felt a wave of heat lash at his back. The air crackled above them, the children cried beneath him.

"Hey, you big worm!" He heard a voice yell.

Percy looked up to see Beckendorf banging a battle axe on a shield. The clanging noise was just enough to make the drakon's head swivel away from where Percy and the Beckendorf kids were laying.

He scrambled to his feet, pulling Henry and Charlotte up with him. Charlotte's eyes were squeezed shut, she was muttering something inaudible. Henry, the older of the two, had both of his arms wrapped around his sister.

Annabeth just reached them as Percy was scrambling for a plan.

"Get them past the borders," Percy said breathlessly.

"I'm not leaving you," Annabeth argued in defiance.

"Annabeth, they need you more right now than I do."

Annabeth held his gaze for a moment. Percy could see the conflict in her eyes. For a moment, he thought she was going to refuse.

She pulled her Yankees cap out of her back pocket and handed it to her husband and planted a kiss on his cheek in one swift motion. Annabeth grabbed one of Henry's hands off of Charlotte and began racing with them towards the Pine Tree.

Percy turned his attention to Beckendorf and Silena, and it wasn't looking good. He raced towards them.

Gods bless her, Silena wasn't much of a fighter when she was at camp, but you never would have known that watching her now. She had climbed her way on top of the drakon's back and was clawing her way towards the head. Beckendorf was keeping the drakon distracted towards the front, but he could only move so fast in front of a monster that large. Beckendorf dodged behind the Jeep, but the drakon swallowed it whole, exposing Beckendorf.

Before it could incinerate Beckendorf, Percy did something really stupid (per usual). He chucked Riptide as hard as he could and the sword went soaring through the air. Time seemed to slow down. Beckendorf braced himself for a hit that never came, for right as the drakon was about to strike Riptide sank itself deep in one of its spotlight eyes.

The monster howled and reared up. If Silena had been any less talented at Pegasus riding, she might have been thrown. Still she stayed on, now only ten feet away from the crest of the monster's head.

Good news-the drakon forgot about Beckendorf. The bad news-it was now focused on weaponless Percy. Percy focused on its teeth, ensuring not to be petrified by accidentally catching its gaze in its one good eye.

The drakon coiled like a snake and lunged at Percy. When he rolled away, the beast was so close that its acidic breath burned Percy's nostrils. Percy couldn't see on the other side of the beast, but he had hoped that its sudden squeal meant that Beckendorf had landed a hit.

The entire length of the beast shot past them before wheeling around. Silena was almost to the head of the beast. Percy felt Riptide return to his pocket. For a moment, he had hope.

Percy looked at Beckendorf and the men nodded at each other. The beast started racing towards them. Percy leveled his sword, ready to go for the other eye. When the drakon reached striking distance, Percy threw his sword like a javelin. It hit its mark, but without missing a beat, the monster snapped its head towards Percy.

Percy felt like he had just been hit with a train. The armored hide of the drakon slammed into his body and sent Percy flying. He landed hard a dozen feet away from the beast, his breath slammed out of him.

Percy gagged, trying to catch air. He rolled over on his side. The drakon opened its maw.

_I'm sorry, _Percy thought, and he shut his eyes.

He heard a horrible screech.

He opened his eyes to see Beckendorf in the very mouth of the drakon, anchoring his axe-turned-spear into the roof of the mouth of the beast. For just a second, everything was still. The drakon convulsed. Beckendorf drove it in deeper. Percy could see the tip of the sphere erupt through the top of the monster.

The monster convulsed again.

They had won.

And suddenly, they hadn't.

For a moment, Percy wasn't sure what happened. Beckendorf leaped back from its maw as if he had been electrocuted, a trail of acid following the demigod where he lay very still.

Percy couldn't shout, but Silena did for him.

She let out an awful scream.

Percy watched, still breathless and trying to get up as Silena had reached the tip of the spear still protruding from the drakon's head. In one motion she pulled the spear all the way through, twirled it once over her head, and drove it back down through the monster's head.

The drakon hissed, but it wasn't done. With Silena still on its back, it rolled over.

"No!" Percy choked out. Pain exploded in his chest, every breath felt like something was driving a knife into his lungs. The drakon writhed, trying to right itself.

Percy focused on its underbelly, where the armor looked considerably weaker. If he could just get there…

He staggered forward, baiting his breath.

Out of nowhere, a shadow passed over him. A flash of gray roared and smacked into the underside of the drakon. Percy tried to process what was happening, but the lack of oxygen was making his vision blurry.

It was the dragon. The one that guarded Thalia's tree. Percy had never seen it fly.

He circled around the drakon once more before raking its claws across the underbelly of the beast. Percy watched as the drakon writhed and then lay still. It disintegrated, only leaving the hardened exterior.

Percy staggered towards Beckendorf's body. He got there and collapsed next to him. Beckendorf was badly burned, his face barely recognizable. Only half of his face was remotely undamaged. The light in his brown eye flickered weakly as he met Percy's gaze.

"Beckendorf," Percy choked. It was too late, even for demigod medicine.

His ravaged arm reached up and he grabbed Percy by the collar of his t-shirt. As he did, Percy noticed a familiar necklace around Beckendorf's neck. After all of this time...

"P-Percy," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't leave them. There's no one. Promise me."

Percy grabbed Beckendorf's hand. "I promise."

The light died in Beckendorf's eye and Percy felt his arm go slack.

Percy sat back on his heels. He was choking. He couldn't breathe.

Percy thought he heard somebody calling his name when the world turned sideways and everything went dark.

When Percy stirred, there was a bright light in his eyes. The world smelled faintly of poison, death, and...barnyard animals? His chest ached and lungs burned, and he thought he was dead if not for the warmth of the sunshine on his face.

Percy's eyes shot open. He moaned, rolling over and blinking the sun out of his eyes.

"Take it slow, my boy," It was a familiar voice, but not the one he was expecting.

Percy's vision cleared, and he saw Chiron, in full horse form, kneeling in the grass beside him. Chiron looked as though he had aged a thousand years since their conversation...jeez was that really only yesterday?

Percy gathered his bearings. A massive shell loomed next to them. Next to it, he saw a few satyrs standing around two...Percy gulped. Two bodies covered with a sheet.

"Silena. Beckendorf," Percy murmured, feeling weak on the inside-and not from the physical pain.

"I'm very sorry," Chiron said. "It's a tragic and unexpected loss of life."

"I could have done better," Percy lamented.

"It is because of you that Charlotte and Henry are all right."

Percy perked up at that. He met Chiron's gaze. "They made it?"

Chiron nodded. "Annabeth led them over the hill and then let the dragon loose. She's with them now. She wanted to be here, but I convinced her that you would be just fine. A little longer, however, and you might not have been."

Percy scrambled to his feet, trying not to throw up. "The kids. I need to call-"

Chiron held up a hand. "Your children are fine, Percy."

He lost his balance, suddenly, and Chiron rose to catch him before he fell. Percy felt stupid, having a two thousand year old centaur helping him stand.

"Why do I feel like _garbage_?" Percy moaned.

Chiron had the nerve to chuckle. "You are not sixteen nor invincible, Percy. Age wears on us all."

Percy grumbled something about immortal centaurs.

"Come, we have other matters to discuss," Chiron said. Percy took the invitation and climbed onto his back as Chiron trotted off towards the Big House.

Percy stared at the bodies underneath the sheet, remembering Beckendorf's dying request. Percy stared for as long as he could, only peeling his eyes away when they had passed over the hill.

The dragon was sleeping at the base of Thalia's pine tree, like he hadn't gutted a drakon only a little while before.

Annabeth was waiting for them on the porch when they arrived. Percy barely had time to dismount when she surged forward, embracing him in a tight hug.

Percy grasped onto his wife as if she were his lifeline. He buried his face into the side of her neck and let out a sob. "I couldn't save them."

He felt hot tears splash on his shoulder. Annabeth's. "You did. The kids are safe because of you. That's what Silena and Beckendorf would have wanted."

Percy gripped tighter onto his wife and heard Chiron back away to give them some privacy.

He pulled away from Annabeth after a long moment and rubbed his sea-green eyes. "Where are Charlotte and Henry?"

Annabeth gestured back to the house with her head. "Asleep. They had been running all night-they were exhausted. They-they know."

"What about ours? This was a _drakon, _Annabeth, a freaking drakon. At this point, anything could happen. I don't want them out there alone," Percy could hear his panic creeping into his voice.

"Still at Montauk," Annabeth answered. "They're safe."

"For now," Percy caveated breathlessly. "Annabeth-"

Annabeth silenced him with a small kiss on the lips. She said softly, "I know."

Percy felt his panic slipping away. He pressed his forehead against Annabeth's and took a deep breath.

"Athena always has a plan, remember?" she whispered. She grabbed Percy's hand and they walked back up to the porch and settled into one of the benches. Percy held her close as she put a hand over his heart and looked up at him. The physical pain there seemed to be sapping away.

**AN: Hopefully this answers somebody's question about Silena and Beckendorf, I brought them back because, as this chapter reveals, we're just beginning their children's story.**


End file.
